


their daily lives

by harunai



Category: Mad Father (Video Game), Persona 4, Undertale (Video Game), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Characters Tagged As They Appear, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Male Chara (Undertale), Male Frisk (Undertale), Misgendering, Multi, THIS FIC IS WILD, Trans Male Character, Trans Shirogane Naoto, UNO, also this is a chatfic, also updates sporadically, and by "appear" i mean have dialogue, and she became a mainstay, aya is not a morally good person, by none of the main cast, chatroom fic, give frisk a hug 2k2k, half the cast is probably ooc but I Don't Care Anymore, heavily self-indulgent, mentioned pulptenks flanders, naoto learned how to type like a normal person yay, one line of transphobia, slow but present character development, the recent chapter ramps up the cameos. Can You Guess Them All, there is yosuke bashing. entirely by aya, toga just existed halfway through the first chapter, we now have (mostly) our entire main cast
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2020-06-24 09:38:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19721068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harunai/pseuds/harunai
Summary: Aya makes a group chat with her brother and her two friends.As expected, it descends to hell very quickly.





	1. And so it begins

**Author's Note:**

> WOO this is kind of an introduction to my auverse with like. 30 different media in it  
> anyways here are some Important Usernames
> 
> stabby: aya  
> detective killjoy: naoto  
> determined: frisk  
> aya stole my username: chara
> 
> more people join this over time i swear

_**stabby has created the chatroom** _

**stabby:** yay, it worked!

_**stabby has added detective killjoy, determined, and aya stole my username to the chatroom** _

**stabby:** and now everyone is here!

**determined:** i think we're still missing people...

**aya stole my username:** i think these are the people she like. tolerates

**stabby:** yup yup!

**detective killjoy:** It's no secret you don't really like being around the Investigation Team much, do you, Aya?

**stabby:** hanamura-chan's kind of annoying :/ hypocrite imho

**determined:** he only figured out last year that he was bi, i think it's just slowly working its way into his head

**stabby:** well he needs to figure it out SOONER if i hear him misgender brother one more time i'm going to punch him in the gut

**aya stole my username:** i don't think you have to i think kanji and ms kujikawa would gladly do it for you

**stabby:** yeah but they'd do it Nicely and I Don't Want Them To Be Nice

**detective killjoy:** Please, sister, don't commit acts of violence against Yosuke for my sake. Give him time.

**stabby:** if brother says so!

**determined:** chara can you go make sure she doesn't actually do anything i think narukami would freak out if she actually did anything

**aya stole my username:** ok

-

**detective killjoy:** I would like to update and confirm that Aya did not actually do anything to physically harm Yosuke, but she glared at him through the entire meeting.

**stabby:** there's only so much i can handle without being violent

**determined:** i feel like we're missing all the signs of a budding serial killer and honestly aya terrifies me sometimes

**aya stole my username:** what if she's been like. a serial killer all this time and the only reason we're alive is because she likes us for some reason

**aya stole my username:** naotos alive bc hes her brother but she just kinda tolerates us

**stabby:** while i am not a criminal you are correct in that this chat is the people i tolerate + naoto whom i lov

**determined:** wheres mr tatsumi and ms kujikawa then

**stabby:** 1\. frisk ur literally rise's age you don't have to call her ms

**stabby:** 2\. do you want the entire it knowing abt how much i dont like yosuke

**aya stole my username:** you havent forgiven him for the pageant have you

**stabby:** never have and never will

**detective killjoy:** Sister, please. That was in the past.

**stabby:** yeah but it still made you feel bad at the time and honestly!!!!! what was he thinking???!!!!

**determined:** i feel like she wants to punch yosuke every time she thinks of it

**stabby:** he is Correct

-

**stabby** : GUYS I MADE A NEW FRIEND THE OTHER DAY

**determined:** i think i just felt a chill run down my spine

**aya stole my username:** this friend has to be something if aya openly calls them a friend

_**stabby has added knivesandneedles to the chatroom** _

**knivesandneedles:** aya are these your other friends????? **  
**

**stabby:** yes! detective killjoy is my Good Brother and the other two are the only other people i tolerate enough to tell them Deep Secrets

**determined:** hi i'm frisk, nice to meet you

**aya stole my username:** with a name like that i can see how aya's friends with you. anyways i'm chara and aya took my username before i could get it

**knivesandneedles:** you guys sound like fun!!!!!! i'm himiko toga and i can be anyone you want me to be!

**detective killjoy:** I left for ten minutes and there's a new person here.

**knivesandneedles:** so YOU'RE the naoto she won't stop talking abt

**stabby:** himikooooo!!!!

**knivesandneedles:** half the things you talk abt are related to him in some way lol please start talking to other ppl more

**stabby:** other ppl are Bad

**aya stole my username:** the one time i 100% agree with what aya says

**detective killjoy:** oh. oh no.

**stabby:** brother????

-

**_detective killjoy <-> determined_ **

**detective killjoy:** How in the world. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kirigirikyouko/serial-syringe-murders

**determined:** first of all, buzzfeed? secondly, what the HELL?

**detective killjoy:** Language. I don't know either. I just know that Aya could be in severe danger from interacting with this girl. **  
**

**determined:** miss himiko doesn't seem like she'd want to hurt aya??? if anything aya's like. the person in the least possible danger

**determined:** i think you're actually in greater danger here so please please be careful

**determined:** you're like. the only person i can legit talk to about stuff like

**detective killjoy:** I understand. I'll do my best to be careful. Try and avoid prolonged interaction with Toga.

**determined:** kinda difficult when she's literally in the Personal Deep Groupchat but got it

_**Unnamed Chatroom** _

**knivesandneedles:** did i scare the twinks off **  
**

**stabby:** himi why

**aya stole my username:** it's true they did just kinda mutually disappear

**knivesandneedles:** what if they're dating lol

**stabby:** no!!!! brother is already dating kanji and rise!!!!

**knivesandneedles:** YOUR BROTHER IS DATING AN IDOL WTF AYA ERGUYGSHJNLERK

**aya stole my username:** i'm surprised it took this long to get a keysmash and it's from potential serial killer number 3

**determined:** what the actual hell happened here

**knivesandneedles:** HE RISES FROM THE DEAD

**stabby:** AND SAID A CUSSY!

**detective killjoy:** I immediately regret returning if this is what greets me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading ch1 of this Absolute Madness
> 
> anyways yes knivesandneedles is himiko toga  
> AND WHAT??? A DEVELOPING PLOT EARLY ON???? MADNESS  
> i'm not tagging danganronpa as a fandom yet it was 1 mention


	2. Step 1: Find people to talk to

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Himiko attempts to get Aya to talk to people like a normal person. Keyword being, attempts.
> 
> Frisk and Naoto try and figure out what even is going on.
> 
> And in the middle of that, the group chat finally gets a name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alrighty so we're on ch2 of this and we've got a few plots going on already  
> important information: USERNAMES
> 
> stabby: aya   
> detective killjoy: naoto  
> aya stole my username: chara  
> determined: frisk  
> knivesandneedles: himiko

_**knivesandneedles <-> stabby** _

**knivesandneedles:** alright aya starting today i gotta get you to talk to people that aren't that groupchat **  
**

**stabby:** you're one to talk >:(

**knivesandneedles:** noah fence but your bro gave me some Insider Information that even though you join in on their investigation team meetings you rlly only talk to naoto

**knivesandneedles:** 2\. i have friends outside of the groupchat

**knivesandneedles:** 3\. you're what, 13? 14? and you still hardly talk to anybody, not rlly even rise and kanji and theyre the ppl naotos dating

**knivesandneedles:** i understand being antisocial but you have literally no social skills in decent gatherings and ppl are gonna start expecting a lot outta you as a teenage girl

**stabby:** ill stab em

**knivesandneedles:** stabbing is an answer half the time but not when your brother brings you to a gathering and is clearly proud of u and putting his reputation on the line fr u

**knivesandneedles:** conclusion: you at least need to be able to fake talking to people normally

-

_**determined <-> detective killjoy** _

**detective killjoy:** So the obvious thing is: Aya could be close friends with a serial killer.

**determined:** Chara's comment concerned me, too. Potential serial killer number THREE?

**determined:** I mean... There's always the off-chance that he's just joking around, but it's still pretty worrying.

**detective killjoy:** We'll figure this out. We have to.

-

_**Unnamed Chatroom** _

**aya stole my username:** we need a name

**knivesandneedles:** agreed! we can't just keep being "unnamed chatroom" for all of eternity, thats boring

**determined:** Aya has admin privileges, since she created the room, so it's up to her to decide a name.

**stabby:** suggest names every1 i'm outta ideas

**knivesandneedles:** two girls and three twinks!

**detective killjoy:** Declined.

**determined:** the personal chat?

**aya stole my username:** boriiiiing.

**stabby:** you guys aren't very good at this >:(

**knivesandneedles:** ooh! the secret room!

**detective killjoy:** Sounds... cryptic.

**aya stole my username:** i like that one

**determined:** unless anyone has other suggestions, i guess that's it

**knivesandneedles:** memoirs of the last sane people!

**aya stole my username:** lol

**stabby:** too long

**stabby:** alright boys and girl, this is a SHOCKING TWIST

**detective killjoy:** oh no

_**stabby has changed Unnamed Chatroom's name to The Rat Zone** _

**aya stole my username:** god is dead and we killed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're the rats. rats rats rats--  
> JK i had to. i just had to make this a thing  
> anyways comments are life please leave some thanks


	3. Step 2: Find a common ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day and its events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok i totally didnt drop off the face of the earth sorry
> 
> anyways here's some brief profiles
> 
> aya shirogane. female, 14, aroace  
> naoto shirogane. male, 17, bisexual  
> frisk [omitted]. male, 15. pansexual  
> chara dreemurr. male, 16. homosexual  
> himiko toga. female, 17. bisexual
> 
> thanks for reading and enjoy the shenanigans these guys get into

_**The Rat Zone** _

**stabby:** ok so today was a cluster of hilarity

**stabby:** so naoto and i were just walking along, minding our own business, then we turn and see yosuke walk straight into a bar!

**determined:**?????????????????????????

**detective killjoy:** Souji sidestepped. It was a street pole.

**stabby:** still pretty funny though

-

**knivesandneedles:** think i met one of ur friends today naoto

**detective killjoy:**????

**knivesandneedles:** there was this store right. i go in for some food and THERE IS A BEAR COSTUME.

**knivesandneedles:** and inside was this blonde twink. freakin teddybear

**aya stole my username:** i see you met teddie

**knivesandneedles:** wait that's his actual name? i thought that was a nickname the kids gave him

**determined:** we're off to a great start already.

-

**stabby:** so this meeting is going well right. big bro is telling us about that time he ended up finding a murder clue in a retail shop bc an accomplice switched out expensive boots for bloodstained ones

**determined:** what

**detective killjoy:** That was not fun to explain.

**stabby:** souji and yosuke r getting kind of handsy and it takes rise calling them out to get them to cut it out

**aya stole my username:** so they finally came to terms with it

**stabby:** then chie says something funny and yukiko laughs so hard that i think her water went up and out her nose. i have no idea how

**knivesandneedles:** you guys have weird friends

**determined:** your friend can make fire from nothing

**stabby:** so there's no way this could escalate any further right. big bro and kanji r holding hands and i am silently directing curses at yosuke

**stabby:** and then teddie pulls out The Box

**aya stole my username:** what's so special about this Box

**detective killjoy:** Somehow, Teddie obtained Uno and brought it to the group meeting.

**determined:** U n o?!

**knivesandneedles:** AVEUFIJHLKEFRJUKHEGLIUJHEGIUEGHIU<KJERHKERJ

**aya stole my username:** dear lord almighty

**stabby:** souji suggests we play it. all are in agreement.

**stabby:** what they did not know was that i planted the uno with teddie and put more +4 cards in than needed.

**detective killjoy:** It was... an arduous game.

-

**stabby:** yukiko got uno first, but chie slapped her with a skip right before she got a turn to put down her last card and i could feel the unbridled rage

**detective killjoy:** We started noticing the +4s when Kanji got three of them in one hand.

**determined:** this sounds scary

**stabby:** yosuke got +4'd several times in a row (naoto and rise make a scary team) which is when ppl started suspecting the deck had been tampered with. he had, uhh...

**detective killjoy:** A lot.

**stabby:** he had at least 20 cards that i could count LOL

**aya stole my username:** jesus christ

**knivesandneedles:** please tell me you guys kept skipping him

**detective killjoy:** He did indeed get skipped several times.

**stabby:** if despair had a face that would be it

**detective killjoy:** In the end, Rise won.

**stabby:** naoto and souji were close second and third though! they fought well

**aya stole my username:** holy shit get the cameras aya praised someone other than naoto

**determined:** got a screenshot

**stabby:** guys what the hell


	4. Step 3: Put thought into your words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dial of focus shifts, and the world turns behind the scenes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm stressed and writing these gremlins is one of the ways i can calm myself down along with blaring music at maximum volume and yelling at atlus and hashino
> 
> anyways, time for this to be a frisk-centric chapter bc i love him  
> also we meet his sister! tenshi hinanawi! yes, frisk's surname is hinanawi in this au and he's tenshi's adopted younger brother!  
> for reference:
> 
> tenshi hinanawi. female, 19. lesbian.

_**aya stole my username <-> determined** _

**aya stole my username:** i saw aya angry today and i'm actually kind of scared of her now

**determined:** oh no. what happened this time

**aya stole my username:** someone called naoto her sister

**determined:** oh. oh god. where's the body

**aya stole my username:** rise was with her and they both corrected the poor shmuck but i think if rise wasn't there aya would have legit killed the dude

**determined:** well at least we don't have to hide bodies

**aya stole my username:** you're way more casual than i expected about this

**determined:** i've known aya since she was like ten. my sister and i actually helped watch her when naoto or his grandpa couldn't

**aya stole my username:** oh shit yeah i forgot. how's tenko doing anyways

**determined:** well, another tenko attends her gf's school now so she's stopped using that nickname

**determined:** i think she might actually be coming out for a visit soon

**aya stole my username:** oh shit nice, is she bringing her gf

**determined:** depends on her schedule, the clinic's been getting pretty slammed lately

**determined:** she told me that she's never seen this many people at once and she's worried there's an epidemic so she might not even be coming over here if it's contagious

**aya stole my username:** wait u r texting her rn?

**determined:** yeah. she says hi btw

**aya stole my username:** lol hi tenshi

-

_**Frisk <-> Tenshi** _

**Tenshi:** so I'm here with miks right

**Tenshi:** helping out as much as I can because holy HELL this place is slammed

**Tenshi:** we r both cleared to leave for the day but she tells me to go and she needs to take care of a few more patients and wants me to go home and make sure the house is secure

**Frisk:** She's brave.

**Tenshi:** so I go down the street to my house and there's this weird guy

**Tenshi:** he looked like a jacked makoto naegi and not in the good way

**Tenshi:** kept callin himself "super king" or whatever like that's relevant anymore

**Tenshi:** and I heard him sayin some weird stuff so I went to investigate and he was arguing with a girl that came up to like shoulder height. pink fluffy hair all that jazz

**Tenshi:** anyways that's how I kneed a creep in the crotch and met a new friend named sill

**Frisk** : i think i remember her name somewhere, the stockholm case naoto looked into

**Tenshi:** small world

**Frisk:** is she doing ok?

**Tenshi:** yea she's staying with chabashira rn

**Frisk:** ah, so she's in good hands.

**Frisk:** any word on when you might be coming to visit inaba?

**Tenshi:** prob at least two weeks. I got myself tangled in the shenanigans with this super king guy and he's convinced I took "his" sill from him like lol no shes not ur property

**Frisk:** i see. be careful, ok sis?

**Tenshi:** you too! tell naoto and ur friends hi for me!

**Frisk:** I will.

-

_**The Rat Zone** _

**stabby:** friiiiiiisk come play uno with me

**determined:** after the clusterfuck that was your rigged uno match? i'll pass

**aya stole my username:** LANGUAGE!

**determined:** not the time chara

**knivesandneedles:** so i just realized smth. wheres naoto

**stabby:** brother's on a case and rlly busy, sorry abt that himiko

**aya stole my username:** what kind of case?

**stabby:** some weird missing posters popped up. theyre talking abt a girl that afaik doesn't exist

**determined:**?????????????????????????

**knivesandneedles:** oh shit he's on that case?

**stabby:** yea. apparently the writer was begging for his daughter to be brought back to him so inaba's on the hunt for this bethany betty whoever the hell she is

**determined:**.

**aya stole my username:** what r the details you can give us aya

**stabby:** i can only say so much w/o getting in trouble but

**stabby:** apparently the dude reported his daughter vanished from their house with some of her belongings missing too

**stabby:** the theories in the office naotos at rn are either (kidnapped) or (ran away)

**stabby:** personally i think she ran away bc testimonies suggest that the dad's embellishing their relationship to get the kid back

**determined:** I. I see.

**knivesandneedles:** hes typing full grammar, frisk r u ok

**determined:** I need to step out for a moment.

_determined has set their status to Away_

**detective killjoy:** I've read over this, and I remember Frisk talking about how he didn't have the best relationship with his own parents.

**stabby:** o yeah he is staying with yukiko rn right bc tenshis away

**knivesandneedles:** who's tenshi

**aya stole my username:** his older sis

**detective killjoy:** Personally, I believe this case (And the suspicion that Bethany was being abused) brought back unpleasant memories for Frisk of his own parents.

**stabby:** wow i feel like a dick now

**aya stole my username:** this is what it takes for you to feel like a dick?

**knivesandneedles:** bc frisk is her friend and yosuke is not

**aya stole my username:** i cant help but feel like theres something really bad thats gonna happen soon

**stabby:** i'm gonna give frisk a call and see if he's doing ok bc he hasn't messaged yet so i'm a lil worried about him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plot... 
> 
> i also think this is the first time that every character that speaks in this fic has been named all at once in the same chapter  
> and if you recognize the names that tenshi talks abt (that aren't tenko) pls dont look them up if you're under 18. or triggered easily. trust me here


	5. Step 4: Work up the will to speak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's less stars in the sky. The suspicious girl is the one who knows the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to chapter 5 of my pet project! to anyone who's been following since the beginning, thank you so much for sticking with me and my project as it evolves lol  
> because i'm a little too lazy to edit the chapter notes, i'm going to place a tl;dr of every chapter up to this one (all plot-relevant info), since the plot is starting to kick in and we're stepping away from the chat format a bit! i recommend reading all of them just in case, though!
> 
> ch1: aya, naoto, chara, frisk, and himiko are all introduced. the most relevant thing that happens here, aside from aya confirming she doesn't like most of the investigation team, is himiko toga being added to the chat as aya's friend, and frisk+naoto discussing this concerning revelation (that himiko might be a serial killer) in dms. frisk starts to say something personal but accidentally sends the message before it's finished and naoto assumes it was about himiko. frisk goes along with the assumption. chara makes an offhand remark about "potential serial killer number three".
> 
> ch2: himiko and aya talk about aya's lack of social skills. himiko takes on a guiding role and tries to help aya at least fake being a "normal" person because of the fact that she's part of a well-respected family (the shiroganes). naoto and frisk briefly discuss chara's concerning remark and the fact that aya might be friends with a serial killer. the chat is officially given a name.
> 
> ch3: in the notes, everyone was given brief profiles. himiko meets teddie, but nothing comes of it. in a brief discussion where it's revealed that souji and yosuke ended up together, dabi is mentioned (but not by name), and teddie pulls out uno for a team-wide game, which aya rigged. rise won, but naoto and souji were closely second. aya praises souji's effort, which is a first for her. 
> 
> ch4: (dms) we officially meet frisk's older sister, tenshi, and get a profile for her too. more information has been revealed about aya and frisk as a result - the two met when tenshi brought frisk along once when aya was like ten to watch over the shirogane house, revealing that tenshi and naoto are friends. tenshi is revealed to be with her girlfriend, mikan, helping at her clinic as a strange wave of illness has affected people more than what the clinic usually handles. it's suspected to be an epidemic.  
> in dms with frisk, tenshi reveals that she met a girl named sill who was being harassed by a tall, buff guy who called himself the "super king". sill was escorted away and has since taken up residence with tenko chabashira. naoto was revealed to have looked into a case regarding sill and stockholm syndrome. the story is confirmed to take place in inaba by frisk asking tenshi when she can visit it, and she says it's at least two weeks because the "super king" got her involved in legal kerfluffle. tenshi knows naoto by name.
> 
> (chat) most people present in the fic have been referred to by name now. aya mentions a case naoto's working on when himiko asks about his location - it's a missing persons case involving a girl named "bethany" who disappeared near inaba after suspected abuse took place. frisk grows tense after this and sets his status to away, and stops responding to messages. naoto reveals that frisk had bad relationships with his parents and the case with bethany brought back those memories. aya, who brought it up, confesses that she feels bad about that and decides to call frisk to check on him.

_Riiiiing. Riiiiing. Riiiiiiing._

_"Hello, you've reached Frisk Hinanawi. I'm not here right now, so please leave a message if it's important or call back later. Thank you."_ Click.

"Goddammit." With an audible groan, Aya set her phone facedown on the desk, dual facepalming. She'd screwed up big-time. It wasn't like Frisk to cut communication with people. Ever. So that's how Aya knew she screwed up badly, and just her luck, it was with one of the few people she could call a friend. Considering that Frisk wasn't going to be talking in the chat, getting to him wouldn't be easy to make sure he was okay. Unless...

"Wait... idea!" Picking up her phone, Aya dialed a number she rarely, if ever, called, only because she usually had no reason to. But _she_ had a key to every door there.

_"Hello, this is the Amagi Inn. You've reached Yukiko Amagi, how may I help you?"_ "Miss Amagi, I know this is out of nowhere, but..." _"Aya? What a surprise! What can I do for you?"_

God, Amagi seemed to perk up when she heard her. "It's about Frisk. I screwed up and brought back bad memories for him in a conversation and now I'm worried about him. Since he's staying with you guys while his sister's away, can you check on him?" _"Oh! Sure, I heard him moving around... he left for a bit earlier, but came back shortly, so I assume he went out to run an errand."_ Aya went quiet, hearing the rustling. Then, muffled conversation - Yukiko must have hid the phone.

_"Frisk? You doing ok?" "Yeah, I'm-- I'm fine. What brought that up?" "Aya was worried." "... Color me surprised. I'm fine, I don't blame her. She didn't know." "Don't wanna talk about it?" "Yeah." "That's fine. I'm just glad you're ok." "Thanks, miss Yukiko."_

Aya only heard Yukiko speak once she was away from the room. "So he's doing okay..." _"I figured you'd rather hear him say it."_ "You were right. Thanks, miss Yukiko." _"Anytime. Give me a call whenever, okay?"_ "Ok." Click.

Frisk was OK. That's all that mattered.

-

_**The Rat Zone** _

**stabby:** frisk is fine, guys. i called yukiko and she checked on him

**detective killjoy:** So that's who you were on the phone with.

**aya stole my username:** oh yeah, yukiko has a skeleton key for the amagi inn

**knivesandneedles:** whew, got worried abt the kid

**detective killjoy:** I actually was authorized to reveal some information about Bethany's disappearance.

**knivesandneedles:** OwO?

**aya stole my username:** please never type that again

**detective killjoy:** They said there was no evidence. But there was a single piece of paper, on Bethany's pillow, neatly folded. In her handwriting, too, apparently.

**stabby:** :O

**detective killjoy:** The contents only deepen the mystery. It only contained four words. "The stars are falling."

**knivesandneedles:** sounds like some creepy cult shit. how long ago was this anyways?

**stabby:** three years ago

**detective killjoy:** Bethany was twelve when she went missing. I doubt someone so young would willingly join a cult without interference.

**detective killjoy:** However, the reason this case has been re-opened is because we have potential proof that Bethany Noire is alive.

**aya stole my username:** o shit, this is why you brought up her letter isn't it

**detective killjoy:** On the reception desk of the Inaba PD, an envelope was left there addressed to "Shirogane". It was given to me by Dojima, who believed it was for me.

**detective killjoy:** When I opened the letter, I was met by those same four words, but with an addition. "The stars are falling again."

**stabby:** holy shit

**detective killjoy:** Aya, you remember the day I asked you if you'd been to the PD, right?

**stabby:** yea that was a weird question

**knivesandneedles:** hold on a second naoto did your mystery mail deliverer sneak into the PD

**detective killjoy:** Assuming this is Betty who delivered it, she even did so under the guise of Aya - Using a hoodie known to be Aya's, which is why people suspected it was Aya who delivered it.

**aya stole my username:** that means betty knows that aya makes visits to inaba PD _or_ it was coincidental. theres a lot of hoodies in inaba

**stabby:** WAIT HOLD THE PHONE NAOTO WAS IT A GREEN HOODIE

**detective killjoy:** Yes, why?

**stabby:** dude. this means betty knows frisk.

**knivesandneedles:** didn't you lend frisk that green hoodie abt a week or two ago?

**stabby:** yep yep, so this means either a) betty and frisk are friends and frisk lent her the hoodie to disguise her, which is semi-plausible, or b) betty knows enough about frisk to steal the hoodie, but i don't think that's what happened. yukiko said frisk went out for an errand and... when was this delivered again?

**detective killjoy:** Yesterday.

**stabby:** shite. theory gone then.

**stabby:** o crap i forgot to check the mail brb

_stabby has set their status to Away._

**aya stole my username:** i just saw one of those missing posters and i wonder if frisk got confused for betty a lot when he was younger

**knivesandneedles:** how come

**aya stole my username:** he looks a lot like her. it's kinda freaky

**knivesandneedles:** hm.

**aya stole my username:** what is it with people here bein super cryptic today

**detective killjoy:** aya just came back in and she looks really confused, she's holding an envelope.

**detective killjoy:** wait.

_detective killjoy has set their status to Away._

**aya stole my username:** the fuck is happening

-

_stabby has set their status to Online._

_detective killjoy has set their status to Online._

**stabby:** you guys need to check your mailboxes.

**detective killjoy:** Preferably soon.

**aya stole my username:** what's this about, why are you two so freaked out

**detective killjoy:** A copy of both letters was in our mailbox.

**knivesandneedles:** holy shit me too

**aya stole my username:** that was fast

**knivesandneedles:** i went to check the moment aya said so. something is happening in inaba

**detective killjoy:** I'm going to get in contact with Tenshi. Can anyone

**stabby:** naoto?

_detective killjoy is now Away_

**stabby:** naoto?!

**aya stole my username:** holy shit it's in mine too what's going on here

**knivesandneedles:** something is going horribly wrong here and i don't think we're gonna like it

**stabby:** if himiko's concerned this shit be real

_detective killjoy is now Online_

**stabby:** brother!

**detective killjoy:** Yukiko called. She went to check on Frisk and he's not in his room. Five minutes later, the Inaba PD showed up and said they had a sighting of Bethany near the inn, but she denied seeing her and they searched the place. Bethany's dad is heavily pressing for her return.

**detective killjoy:** The Investigation Team groupchat is buzzing with activity right now. They've all gotten the strange letters too. Betty never met any of them.

**knivesandneedles:** i actually think there's more to this than we think, but i need to talk to frisk to confirm it

**aya stole my username:** he's been away forever, but he's still in this gc. lemme ping him

**aya stole my username:** hey **@determined** are you okay dude

_determined has set their status to Online_

**stabby:** there he is! he's okay!

**knivesandneedles:** i'm not too sure about that, aya

**aya stole my username:** frisk what's going on

**detective killjoy:** What Chara said. What's happening so suddenly?

**determined:** The stars are falling again. It isn't safe anymore.

_determined has left the group chat_

**stabby:** the hell

**aya stole my username:** what in the shit

**detective killjoy:**... I'm going to add Tenshi to this.

**knivesandneedles:** i knew it. i totally knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o shit yall
> 
> if you've read this far, feel free to post your theories in the comments! i binged the conspiracy research club series on twitter earlier and drafted this entire chapter thanks to that LOL  
> credit for the stars phrase goes to merryweathery i love that phrase lol


	6. Step 5: Connect with your partner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of a second disappearance, the girl who finds no meaning in life and her polar opposite hold the cards together, and a move is planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER SPOILS THE MYSTERY OF ALL THE PRIOR CHAPTERS! PARTICULARLY BETHANY!  
> pleaaaaase consider yourself warned and DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER if you want to solve the mystery yourself,,, it's solvable with the information given
> 
> to add a further spoiler brigade, i will tl;dr chapter 5!
> 
> ch5:  
> aya calls frisk's phone, actually worried about him after some remarks made in the previous chapter seemed to make him incredibly uncomfortable. after failing to reach him, she contacts yukiko who reaffirms that frisk is okay.  
> (chat)  
> aya confirms to the groupchat that frisk is okay, with everyone expressing relief. naoto reveals that he's been authorized to share information on the disappearance of bethany that previously couldn't be - bethany left evidence behind, a single note with "the stars are falling" written on it that was left on her pillow. he reveals that the reason he was authorized to share it is because bethany is alive, as a note with "the stars are falling again" was left on the front desk of the Inaba PD office addressed to him. the person who delivered it was caught on camera wearing a green hoodie, identical to the one aya said she lent frisk a week or to prior. this confirms that betty has enough association with the group to wear that hoodie, and aya suspects betty and frisk are friends.  
> aya goes away from the chat to check the mail, then comes back with something shocking enough that naoto, too, disappears from the chat. before naoto leaves, chara wonders if frisk got confused for betty a lot when he was younger. when himiko asks why, chara says that he saw a missing poster of betty, who looks like frisk. himiko seems to have a realization at this.  
> -  
> when aya and naoto come back, they tell the group to check their mailboxes. letters are delivered en masse. aya and naoto got a copy of the original "the stars are falling" note, as well as a copy of the second one, "the stars are falling again". himiko and chara both confirm they got copies too, confirming everyone lives in inaba. naoto starts saying he's going to contact tenshi, suggesting a realization as well, but his message cuts off. when he's back, naoto mentions that yukiko called him and said the police searched the place for betty after seeing her, but yukiko denied ever seeing her. the investigation team has also gotten these strange letters, but none of them have ever met betty. chara pings frisk since himiko wants to talk to him to confirm a theory, and frisk returns only to say that "the stars are falling again. it isn't safe anymore" before leaving the chat.  
> while most of the members express confusion, himiko's theory is confirmed - she knows exactly what's going on now.
> 
> This is your last chance to step away and solve this yourself. There's relevant information in every chapter except 2, and the mystery is solvable now. Bethany Noire is alive as one identity, but abandoned as another.

_**detecti** **ve** **killjoy has changed The Rat Zone's name to Serious Business** _

**detective killjoy:** With recent events, I feel this was necessary.

**aya stole my username:** weren't you gonna add tenshi

**stabby:** shes gonna be so freaked out bc afaik frisk is now missing. oops yosuke just screamed

**knivesandneedles:** the hell did you do aya

**stabby:** popped out of nowhere bc im running around looking for frisk

**aya stole my username:** himiko you figured this out right

**knivesandneedles:** Yes, but it's not a good discovery. And I need Tenshi here because she's relevant.

**stabby:** o shit she's speaking in proper grammar now too

**detective killjoy:** I'm going to add Tenshi now.

_**detective killjoy has added god is gay to the chatroom** _

**stabby:** elaborate

**god is gay** **:** no

**aya stole my username:** goddammit aya

**knivesandneedles:** So this is Tenshi...

**detective killjoy:**... Long story short, Frisk disappeared.

**god is gay:** Crap.

**knivesandneedles:** I've figured it out. Well, mostly.

**god is gay:** is this about the letters

**knivesandneedles:** Everything. How did Frisk know what the letters said? He's the one who delivered the second batch, after all.

**stabby:**... holy shit

**detectivekilljoy:** I... feel like such an idiot now.

**aya stole my username:** the shit

**god is gay:** Frisk ran away from home and moved in with me, but legally, no name changes occurred.

**knivesandneedles:** The police say they're looking for Bethany, but they're really looking for Frisk.

**stabby:** i feel like an asshole now 

**detectivekilljoy:** So that's what he was talking about...

**god is gay:** well if I know Frisk well enough he's probably going to try and lay low for a while. the fact that he didnt tell me abt this suggests he had to move quickly.

**aya stole my username:** so we can assume things went like (betty ->= frisk) right

**god is gay:** Legally, we haven't been able to do that yet. ... Legally, I don't even have custody of him properly.

**detective killjoy:** The police officer side of me wants to chide you or bring you into the station, but the rational side of me wants to thank you for keeping Frisk out of an abusive situation.

**god is gay:** yeah his old man's absolute scum. i can't think of any way to describe him besides waste of space and air

**god is gay:** from what i've seen and been told, guy's two-faced as hell. all nice and smiles and good dad for the public but alone with unfortunate people like frisk and his true colors come iut

**god is gay:** naoto i think you handled a case like this one. remember the single mom and her kid? rose or smth was the mom's name?

**detective killjoy:** Yes, I remember that case. The mother was deemed unfit to care for a child. Custody of her daughter went to two family friends as the family itself is still pending proper investigation for similarly abusive situations.

**detective killjoy:** The two are siblings and very close. I checked on Maria and it's like she's always been their sister. She's recovering amazingly.

**stabby:** hes getting all sentimental at his phone now lol

**stabby:** also i met maria myself a while back and she's super awesome, dunno why people think she's creepy

**aya stole my username:** so uh. what do we do about frisk. we have no idea where he is

**god is gay:** oh this is easy peasy. we find him and hide him at one of our places for a while until everything blows over

**stabby:** or we prevent this from happening again and fake "betty's" death

**detective killjoy:** What.

**stabby:** if every1 thinks betty is dead they wont keep searching right

**aya stole my username:** they'll be looking for a body though

**stabby:** we can get around that too. there's tons of articles abt faking your death

**god is gay:** I see where you're going with this Aya, but... how

**detective killjoy:** I see Aya's plan here. If the PD thinks Bethany is dead, they have no reason to keep looking for her.

**knivesandneedles:** aren't you a cop?

**detective killjoy:** Technically, I'm a detective. But we've all done our fair share of illegal things.

**detective killjoy:** And if I had to choose between bending the law a bit to protect a friend, or going by it and ensuring he suffers again, I'll gladly bend that law.

**stabby:** this is why hes my awesome brother :D

**god is gay:**... or maybe we can just. legally get custody revoked

**stabby:** nooooo my cool plan :(

**detective killjoy:** It _would_ be satisfying to gather enough evidence of abuse that this man's case falls apart and Frisk can live freely.

**aya stole my username:** so basically we need to gather as much evidence as we can. and find frisk

**god is gay:** on this front i have both good and bad news

**god is gay:** good news: I have multiple contacts from when frisk was still living with his old man, they probably saw a lot of things, and my girlfriend helped him run away too so she knows a lot

**god is gay:** bad news: the one person who saw the inside of his house besides him, a good friend of his named muriel, she kinda just. disappeared

**god is gay:** she was younger than him and vanished without a trace

**aya stole my username:** shit wasn't that on the news for a while following a string of weird incidents

**aya stole my username:** that girl who jumped from her balcony, the guy who got some weird disease, this other girl who almost went straight up chainsaw murderer

**stabby:** this is cool and all but who are the people still around

**god is gay:** give me a minute

-

_**god is gay has created the chatroom** _

_**god is gay has changed Unnamed Chatroom's name to mystery gang** _

_**god is gay has added detective killjoy, stabby, aya stole my username, and higanbana to the chatroom** _

**god is gay:** I think that's everyone

**stabby:** is higanbana a friend

**aya stole my username:** isnt she from that rich people town

**higanbana:** Yes, I am. I'm Millie Lincle, from Leazas. 

**god is gay:** millie I'm sorry for waking you up but we needed to get a testimony from you

**higanbana:** I was awake this time. Is this about Frisk?

**god is gay:** yeah, how'd you know

**higanbana:** I'm with Patty at Pulptenks' place and the "Falling Stars Case" is the talk of the tavern.

**aya stole my username:** oh wow

**higanbana:** We're at the same table, but let me just...

_**higanbana has added hazy summer days to the chatroom** _

**aya stole my username:** finally a name almost as long as mine

**hazy summer days:** <(￣︶￣)>

**detective killjoy:** I don't think I've met you two before.

**higanbana:** We're... shall I put it, childhood friends of Frisk. Mostly fallen out of contact, but Tenshi kept my number. I can see why.

**stabby:** tenshi knows everyone :O

**god is gay:** more like I got it back through Sill, lol

**higanbana:** Wow.

**hazy summer days:** ok so i scrolled up and this is about frisk???? he's so nice why is all this happening (｡•́︿•̀｡)

**stabby:** because his old man's garbage

**higanbana:** If you need testimony, Patty and I both helped Frisk when he was injured particularly badly.

**hazy summer days:** bc of his dad, i started stocking remedies for bruises and cuts...

**higanbana:** I supplied Frisk a lot of spare bandages. ... And I mean a _lot_.

**stabby:** what now brb

_stabby has set their status to Away_

**detective killjoy:** ??? There's a pounding noise. Oh wait, that's what Aya went to investigate.

**aya stole my username:** shit we forgot to add himiko

**_aya stole my username has added knivesandneedles to the chatroom_ **

**knivesandneedles:** about time >:/

**higanbana:** Isn't this the girl rumored to be a serial killer?

**hazy summer days:** scary, scary (°△°|||)︴

**detective killjoy:** Himiko has been helpful in this case.

**aya stole my username:** yeah when she's not being an utter gremlin

**detective killjoy:** Oh. Oh heavens.

**god is gay:** sorry I was helping Miks what happened

**detective killjoy:** Aya just came back. She has Frisk with her. He's limping.

**god is gay:** can you guys open a voicechat

**detective killjoy:** I need to go help them. Frisk is a wreck right now.

_detective killjoy has set their status to Away_

**knivesandneedles:** Soooo... We're putting that bastard in jail, right?  


**aya stole my username:** Yep.

**god is gay:** the only alternative to murder

**higanbana:** Why wouldn't we?

**hazy summer days:** he's gonna pay!!!!!!! Q(`⌒´Q)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm positive this twist surprised ABSOLUTELY NOBODY but now i can include two of my favorites in here. meet millie lincle and patty the summer (aka patricia friday but nobody calls her that)  
> reminder: fuck rance
> 
> also, activity may quiet down a bit but this was all very worth it lol i love this fic a lot


End file.
